'Biggest Loser' Host Bob Harper Just Suffered A Heart Attack At The Gym

Biggest Loser host Bob Harper suffered a heart attack while working out earlier this month, according to a statement from NBC. "Bob Harper confirms to NBC News that he had a heart attack two weeks ago yesterday. He is on the mend," the organization said in a statement to E! News.

The 51-year-old host was working out at a gym in New York city when he collapsed. According to an account from TMZ, a doctor luckily happened to be in the gym at the time and was able to perform CPR. Bob is reportedly recovering in NYC before being cleared to fly back to his home in LA.

As a celebrity trainer and fitness guru, Bob is obviously very health conscious, but that doesn’t make him immune to heart issues. According to TMZ, Bob said heart issues are actually a genetic problem in his family—his mother died from a heart attack.

According to Mia Finkelston, M.D., a board-certified family physician who treats patients via tele-health tool LiveHealth Online, it pays to practice caution no matter how healthy you are. “When exercising, it’s important to be mindful of what your body is telling you,” she says, adding that women don’t always get the chest or arm pain that’s classically associated with a heart attack. Instead, women should watch for extreme fatigue. “Women should be especially aware of unusual bouts of fatigue, for example, having to sit down after carrying a laundry basket around the house.”

Nausea is another warning sign that something might be amiss. “If you begin to feel nauseous, force yourself to sit down and take a few minutes to catch your breath and relax rather than trying to power through it,” Finkelston says. If it doesn’t get better, you may want a doc to weign in. “Lastly, if you are not used to intense exercise, do not go all-in right away,” she says. “Make sure your body gets used to the intensity slowly.”

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Five days ago, Bob posted this message on Instagram, which makes a whole lot more sense now that we all know what he's been going through:

Consider Bob's case a reminder that just because you hit the gym regularly doesn’t mean it’s not still important to see your doctor for regular checkups and to monitor for any health risks that run in your family.

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